System and method for capturing and sharing console gaming data

ABSTRACT

A system and method for capturing and sharing console gaming data is described. Embodiments capture gameplay data directly at the gaming console, without the need for external hardware. This allows users to easily capture rich console gaming experiences and share them across a variety of outlets. In one embodiment, the methods described herein can be implemented with a patch or driver on the operating system of the user device, rendering it unnecessary to heavily modify the source code of the game.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/703,395, filed Sep. 13, 2017, which is aContinuation Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/418,703,filed Mar. 13, 2012, the contents of which are incorporated by referenceherein in their entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to console gaming, and moreparticularly, to systems and methods for capturing and sharing consolegaming data.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, gaming consoles have developed universal appeal as aprimary source of entertainment and socialization. Video games draw awide variety of consumers by providing diverse and engaging interactiveexperiences. Interactivity has been increased by a number oftechnological developments. For example, gaming consoles now allow usersto interact not only with video games, but also with other users.Further, users are able to use both conventional controllers andmotion-based controllers or sensors. Progressions in graphics anddisplay technology have also allowed for a rich console gamingexperience, complete with advanced, realistic high definition audio andvideo in some cases. These developments have resulted in a highly uniqueand individual virtual experience for users.

Over the years, users have experienced an increased ability to sharethese virtual experiences with others. Websites, forums and messageboards dedicated to video games allow users to discuss their particulargaming experiences with other interested users. Social media alsoprovides an outlet for users to discuss their experiences with friendsand acquaintances. Networked gaming consoles allow users to share basic,generic indicators of experience, such as “trophies” or levelidentifiers, with other networked users.

Users seeking to show off their gameplay prowess at a more rich levelhave limited options, however. Typically, others must watch the userplaying a video game in person in order to share the user's experience.Users have sought to overcome this hurdle by capturing their gameplaywith an external camcorder pointed at their television, and uploadingthe resulting diminished-quality media to the internet. Others haveinstalled video capture devices between their computers and gamingconsoles. These latter options, however, require expensive andcomplicated external hardware components in order to capture gameplay,and the skills, knowledge and time to set them up and operate them.

SUMMARY

The system and method disclosed herein allow users to easily capturerich console gaming experiences and share them across a variety ofoutlets. These and other advantages are realized by providing a systemand method for capturing and sharing console gaming data directly fromthe source without the need for external hardware. In one embodiment,the methods described herein can be implemented with a patch or driveron the operating system of the user device, rendering it unnecessary toheavily modify the source code of the game. In another embodiment,modification of the source code of the game can indeed be used toimplement the methods described herein.

According to one embodiment, a method for storing gameplay is described.The method comprises executing gameplay, buffering a first portion ofthe gameplay, receiving a request to capture a second portion of thegameplay subsequent to the first portion of the gameplay, capturing thesecond portion of the gameplay, and storing the first and secondportions of the gameplay. According to another embodiment, a computerreadable medium having computer executable instructions embedded thereonfor performing the acts of this method is described. Systems foreffecting this method arc also described herein.

According to another embodiment, a method for embedding links intostored gameplay is described. The method comprises retrieving storedgameplay and gameplay metadata, identifying relevant links based ongameplay metadata, embedding at least one of the relevant links into thestored gameplay, and storing the embedded gameplay. According to anotherembodiment, a computer readable medium having computer executableinstructed embedded thereon for performing the acts of this method isdescribed. Systems for effecting this method are also described herein.

According to a further embodiment, a method for embedding user IDs intostored gameplay is described. The method comprises retrieving storedgameplay and gameplay metadata, identifying user IDs from gameplaymetadata, embedding at least one of the user IDs into the storedgameplay, and storing the embedded gameplay. According to anotherembodiment, a computer readable medium having computer executableinstructed embedded thereon for performing the acts of this method isdescribed. Systems for effecting this method are also described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for storing gameplayaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for embedding links intostored gameplay in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for embedding user IDs intostored gameplay in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system of an embodiment foreffecting the methods described herein.

FIG. 5 is diagrammatic representation of a machine having a set ofinstructions for causing the machine to perform any of the one or moremethods described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A system and method for capturing and sharing console gaming data isdescribed. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the exemplary embodiments. It is apparent to oneskilled in the art, however, that embodiments can be practiced withoutthese specific details or with an equivalent arrangement. In someinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views. FIG. 1 isa flowchart illustrating a method for storing gameplay according to oneembodiment. At processing block 110, gameplay is executed. Gameplay canbe executed by the operating system of a game console in response to auser request, which can come in the form of a standard file operationwith respect to a set of data associated with the desired gameplay. Therequest can be transmitted from an application associated with a game.The gameplay can comprise, for example, video content, audio contentand/or static visual content, including wall papers, themes, “add-on”content, or any other type of content associated with a game. It iscontemplated that such content can be user- or developer-generated, freeor paid, full or trial, and/or for sale or for rent.

At processing block 120, a first portion of the gameplay is buffered,i.e., stored temporarily. For example, the previous 15 seconds, thepreviously completed level, or the previous action within the gameplaycan be stored temporarily, as described further herein. The term“portion” used herein can correspond to any part of the gameplay that isdivisible into any related or arbitrary groups of single or multiplebits or bytes of data. For example, “portions” of gameplay maycorrespond to levels, chapters, scenes, acts, characters, backgrounds,textures, courses, actions, songs, themes, durations, sizes, files,parts thereof, and combinations thereof. Further, portions of gameplaycan comprise screenshots of prescribed durations of video capture.

At processing block 130, a request to capture a second portion of thegameplay is received. The request to capture the second portion of thegameplay can be a user request, which can come in the form of a standardfile operation with respect to a set of data associated with thegameplay to be captured. A user can request to capture a second portionof the gameplay by, for example, selecting a button on a gamecontroller, as described further herein.

The second portion of the gameplay reflects gameplay subsequent to thefirst portion of the gameplay. In other words, the first portion of thegameplay reflects gameplay that occurred prior to receipt of the userrequest to capture the second portion of the gameplay. The secondportion of the gameplay reflects gameplay that occurred after receipt ofthe user request to capture the second portion of the gameplay. Thus,the first portion of the gameplay is a past portion of the gameplay thathas already been played, while the second portion of the gameplay beginswith a current portion of the gameplay that is being executed.

At processing block 140, the second portion of the gameplay is captured.In one embodiment, the second portion of the gameplay is capturedaccording to the user's request. For example, if the user taps a capturebutton on the game controller, a screenshot or still picture can betaken. If the user holds down a capture button on a game controller, avideo can be taken for the length of time the button is being held down.In other words, if the button is held down for 5 seconds, 5 seconds ofthe gameplay can be captured as the second portion of gameplay; if thebutton is held down for 10 seconds, 10 seconds of the gameplay can becaptured; and so on. In another example, a screenshot or still picturecan be taken if the user holds down a capture button, and a video can betaken if the user taps a capture button twice consecutively: once tostart the capture, and again to end the capture.

At processing block 150, the first and second portions of the gameplayare stored. In an embodiment in which the first and second portions ofthe gameplay are videos, the first portion of the gameplay can beattached to the second portion of the gameplay, such that a single videowithout interruption is created. In one embodiment, the first and secondportions of the gameplay can be stored locally on the game console ineither temporary or permanent storage. Alternatively or additionally,the first and second portions of the gameplay can be transmitted over anetwork and stored remotely. For example, the first and second portionsof the gameplay can be transmitted over a wireless or wired network toanother computing device, to another game console, or to a remoteserver. Such remote servers may include social media servers.

Optionally, portions of the gameplay not retrieved from the buffer orportions of the gameplay outside a particular gaming interval (e.g., aparticular duration, level, chapter, course, etc.) can be removed fromthe buffer. This removal process can be completed using standard fileoperations on the operating system.

At optional processing block 160, the first and second portions of thegameplay are displayed. The first and second portions of the gameplaycan be displayed on any of a number of display devices having access tothe stored gameplay. For example, the stored gameplay can be displayedon a television set connected to the game console from which thegameplay was captured. In another example, the stored gameplay can bedisplayed on a computer to which the stored gameplay was transmitted.The stored gameplay can be displayed alone or in conjunction with otherinformation, such as on a social media website.

In one embodiment, the first and second portions of the gameplay aredisplayed by another game console associated with a user other than theuser that buffered or captured the gameplay. According to thisembodiment, the first and second portions of the gameplay may show aball being thrown from a first user to a second user, from the point ofview of the first user. The first and second portions of gameplay canthen be transmitted to the game console of the second user. Thus, thesecond user can then view the gameplay from the point of view of thefirst user. The second user can also have third and fourth portions ofgameplay stored showing the ball being thrown by the first user andcaught by the second user, from the point of view of the second user. Inthis embodiment, the second user can review the gameplay front both thepoint of view of the first user and the point of view of the seconduser. Still further, the third and fourth portions of the gameplay canbe transmitted to the game console of the first user, so that the firstuser may review the gameplay from two points of view. This embodimentcan apply to any number of users having any number of points of view, sothat gameplay can be reviewed from any number of different perspectives.

With respect to storage, transmission and/or display of the first andsecond portions of the gameplay as described herein, it is contemplatedthat the first and second portions of the gameplay can be stored,transmitted and displayed as image or video data. In another embodiment,however, the first and second portions of the gameplay can be stored andtransmitted as telemetry or metadata representative of the image orvideo data, and can be recreated as images or video by a game console orother device prior to display.

In some embodiments, the first portion of the gameplay has apredetermined relationship with the executed gameplay. For example, thefirst portion of the gameplay can correspond to a certain amount ofgameplay prior to the currently executing gameplay, such as the previous10 seconds of gameplay. In another embodiment, the first portion of thegameplay has a predetermined relationship with the second portion of thegameplay. For example, the first portion of the gameplay can correspondto a certain amount of gameplay prior to receipt of a request to capturethe second portion of gameplay, such as the 10 seconds of gameplay priorto selection of the capture button. In each of these embodiments, theamount of gameplay buffered prior to the current gameplay or therequested gameplay can be configured and adjusted by the user accordingto his or her particular preferences.

In other embodiments, the buffer is “smart” or “elastic”, such that itcaptures gameplay according to variables without regard to time. In onesuch embodiment, the first portion of the gameplay has a predeterminedrelationship with an event related to the gameplay. For example, thefirst portion of the gameplay may be buffered to include a statisticalanomaly, such as a high score being reached, the gathering of a largenumber of points in a short amount of time, the multiple selections ofbuttons on a controller, and other rare events. Such statisticalanomalies can be determined by comparing gameplay metrics to averagemetrics for a particular game or scene, or for all games generally. Suchaverage metrics can be stored locally or remotely for comparison. Forexample, a game console can track local high scores for a particulargame, and buffer gameplay in which a user approaches and surpasses thathigh score. In another example, a remote server can track global highscores for a particular game, and can communicate that information tothe game console, which buffers gameplay in which the user approachesand surpasses that high score.

In another example, the first portion of the gameplay can be buffered toinclude an achievement, such as a trophy being attained or otherlandmark being reached. Such trophies or landmarks memorialize any goalor gaming achievement, such as a certain number of points beingattained, a certain level being reached, and the like. For example,gameplay can be buffered to include the awarding of a trophy forreaching level 10, for reaching 100,000 points, etc.

Similarly, progress toward reaching an event, in addition to the actualattainment of the trophy or statistical anomaly, can be buffered to beincluded in the first portion of the gameplay. For example, a screenshotcan be taken at each of levels 1 through 10, creating a photo album tomemorialize the receipt of a trophy for reaching level 10. In anotherexample, a video can be taken of a user winning a race for the firstthrough fifth times, where a trophy is awarded for 5 wins.

Thus, according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, at least aportion of executed gameplay can always be kept in a running buffer. Inother words, when a request to capture a portion of the gameplay isreceived, a portion of the prior gameplay can already be captured toinclude previous footage. For example, if a request to capture gameplayis received after a user crosses the finish line in a racing game, thebuffered gameplay can include footage of the user crossing the finishline. In other words, a user will be able to capture moments occurringbefore a request is made to capture the gameplay.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for embedding informationsuch as links into stored gameplay in accordance with one embodiment. Atprocessing block 210, stored gameplay and its associated gameplaymetadata is retrieved. The stored gameplay may be gameplay or portionsthereof stored on any medium. In one embodiment, the stored gameplaycomprises the first and second portions of gameplay discussed above withrespect to FIG. 1. Gameplay metadata may include, for example, the gametitle, game publisher, game developer, game distributor, game platform,game release date, game rating, game characters, game genre, gameexpansions, gameplay level or scene, length of stored gameplay, gameplaystorage date, accessories used during gameplay, number of players, userID of the user that captured the stored gameplay, user IDs of otherusers identified in the stored gameplay, and the like.

At processing block 220, relevant links are identified based on thegameplay metadata. Relevant links may be hyperlinks, for example. In oneembodiment, relevant links are automatically created and generated basedon the gameplay metadata. This embodiment can be implemented wherewebsites are named according to a particular naming convention. Forexample, if a game's website address is assigned according tohttp://us.pIaystation.com/games-and-media/games/TITLE-OF-GAME-PLATFORM.html,where TITLE-OF-GAME is replaced with the game's title and PLATFORM isreplaced with the game's platform, the method according to thisembodiment could pull the title of the game and the game platform fromthe gameplay metadata, and insert the data into the website address togenerate a link. For example, for a game entitled “Sample Game”available on the PS3, the following link could be automaticallygenerated:http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/sample-game-ps3.html.

In another embodiment, relevant links are identified from a plurality oflinks provided by or available from the game console, the game itself,the gaming network, or a third party server. In this embodiment,relevant links can be selected based on their commonalities with thegameplay metadata. For example, relevant links could include links tothe game title's store or purchase page, to the user profiles of otherusers identified in the stored gameplay. to an informational websiteabout the game title, to a community website dedicated to the gametitle, to the user's trophy information, to downloadable content or gameexpansions used in the stored gameplay, to other videos of the same gametitle and/or game level, to other gameplay captured by the same user, totrailers of upcoming games in the same genre, to clan data, to contests,to advertisements, and the like.

At processing block 230, one or more of the relevant links are embeddedinto the stored gameplay. In one embodiment, the relevant links aregraphically or textually embedded into or overlaid on the screenshot orvideo itself. In another embodiment, the relevant links are embedded astext accompanying the screenshot or video.

At processing block 240, the link-embedded gameplay is stored. In oneembodiment, the link-embedded gameplay is stored locally on a gameconsole in either temporary or permanent storage. Alternatively oradditionally, the link-embedded gameplay can be transmitted over anetwork and stored remotely. For example, the link embedded gameplay canbe transmitted over a wireless or wired network to another computingdevice, to another game console, or to a remote server. Such remoteservers may include social media servers.

At optional processing block 240, the link-embedded gameplay isdisplayed. The link-embedded gameplay can be displayed on any of anumber of display devices having access to and capability to display thelink-embedded gameplay. For example, the link-embedded gameplay can bedisplayed on a television set connected to the game console from whichthe gameplay was captured. In another example, the link-embeddedgameplay can be displayed on a computer to which the stored gameplay wastransmitted. The link-embedded gameplay can be displayed alone or inconjunction with other information, such as on a social media website.

In one embodiment, the “sharing” of link-embedded gameplay by users canbe encouraged by providing an incentive program. For example, the numberof clicks of the relevant links can be tracked. In another example,where the link-embedded gameplay contains a link to a purchase websitefor the game, the number of game purchases can be tracked. These numberscan then be used to reward users for sharing and distributinglink-embedded gameplay. In still another example where the link-embeddedgameplay contains a link to a purchase website for the game, a discounton the game can be provided to those users clicking throughlink-embedded gameplay to encourage purchase of the game anddistribution of the link-embedded gameplay.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for embedding informationsuch as user IDs into stored gameplay in accordance with one embodiment.At processing block 310, stored gameplay and gameplay metadata isretrieved. The stored gameplay may be gameplay or portions thereofstored on any medium. In one embodiment, the stored gameplay comprisesthe first and second portions of gameplay discussed above with respectto FIG. 1. In another embodiment, the stored gameplay is the gameplayembedded with relevant links discussed above with respect to FIG. 2.Gameplay metadata according to this embodiment includes at least one ofthe user ID of the user that captured the stored gameplay, and the userID(s) of other user(s) present in the captured gameplay. The otheruser(s) present in the captured gameplay can be local users, such as asecond user in a two player game connected to the same game console asthe first user, or can be remote users, such as networked usersconnected to a different game console than the first user participatingin a partially- or fully-online implemented game.

At processing block 320, user IDs are identified from the gameplaymetadata. At processing block 330, the user IDs are embedded into thestored gameplay. In one embodiment, the user IDs are graphically ortextually embedded into or overlaid on the screenshot or video itself.In this embodiment, the user IDs can be embedded into or overlaid ontheir associated graphical representations. For example, if User_1 isrepresented by a red car in the stored gameplay, and User_2 isrepresented by a blue car in the stored gameplay, the tag “User_1” canbe overlaid on or otherwise associated with the red car, and the tag“User_2” can be overlaid on or otherwise associated with the blue car.In another embodiment, the user IDs are embedded as text accompanyingthe screenshot or video. In the latter embodiment, the accompanying textcan be text intended to be displayed, such as a description or title, orcan be text intended to be invisible upon display, such as embeddedgameplay metadata. It is contemplated that the accompanying text can besearchable.

At processing block 340, the ID-embedded gameplay is stored. In oneembodiment, the ID-embedded gameplay is stored locally on a game consolein either temporary or permanent storage. Alternatively or additionally,the ID-embedded gameplay can be transmitted over a network and storedremotely. For example, the ID-embedded gameplay can be transmitted overa wireless or wired network to another computing device, to another gameconsole, or to a remote server. Such remote servers may include socialmedia servers.

At processing block 350, the ID embedded gameplay is displayed. TheID-embedded gameplay can be displayed on any of a number of displaydevices having access and capability to display the ID-embeddedgameplay. For example, the ID-embedded gameplay can be displayed on atelevision set connected to the game console from which the gameplay wascaptured. In another example, the ID-embedded gameplay can be displayedon a computer to which the stored gameplay was transmitted.

The ID-embedded gameplay can be displayed alone or in conjunction withother information, such as on a social media website. When displayed ona social media website, it is contemplated that the user tags can becompatible with the websites, such that the tags carry over to thesocial media website. Thus, according to tire embodiment described withrespect to FIG. 3, the need to manually tag gameplay media with userID's is eliminated by making the process automatic.

FIG. 4 illustrates a system for effecting the acts of one or more of themethodologies described Herein. Server 410 is connected over network 440to a user device 450. Server 410 includes processor 420 and memory 430,which are in communication with one another. Server 410 is typically acomputer system, and may be an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)server, such as an Apache server. It is contemplated, however, thatserver 410 can be a single or multiple modules or devices hostingdownloadable content or portions thereof. Further, server 410 can be adedicated server, a shared server, or combinations thereof. For example,server 410 can be a server associated with the developer, publisher ordistributor of the application 460, or a third-party server, such as apeer device in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. In addition, server 410 cancomprise a virtual market or online shopping based service offering theapplication 460. In this embodiment, server 410 (alone or in combinationwith other devices) can process and perform various commercialtransactions, such as billing, in addition to those acts describedherein.

User device 450 includes application 460, input device 465, operatingsystem 470, processor 480, and memory 490, which are in communicationwith one another. In one embodiment, user device 450 is a game console.In that embodiment, application 460 may be a game, and input device 465may be a controller. Server 410 and user device 450 are characterized inthat they are capable of being connected to network 440. Network 440 canbe wired or wireless, and can include a local area network (LAN), widearea network (WAN), a telephone network (such as the Public SwitchedTelephone Network (PSTN)), a radio network, a cellular or mobile phonenetwork (such as GSM, GPRS, CDMA, EV-CO, EDGE, 3GSM, DECT, IS-136/TDA,iDEN, and the like), intranet, the Internet, or combinations thereof.Memory 430 and memory 490 may be any type of storage media that may bevolatile or non-volatile memory that includes, for example, read-onlymemory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media,optical storage media, flash memory devices, zip drives, andcombinations thereof. Memory 430 and memory 490 can be capable ofpermanent or temporary storage, or both; and can be internal, external,or both.

In use, application 460 makes calls to operating system 470 to load andaccess data stored in memory 490, using standard file operations.Application 460 can be any software and/or hardware that provides aninterface between a user of user device 450 (via input device 465) andoperating system 470. The standard file operations include, for example,“open” (i.e., specifying which file is to be accessed), “seek” (i.e.,specifying what position to go to in the file to read data), “read”(i.e., requesting that data be read from the file and copied toapplication 460), and “close” (i.e., requesting that the file be closedfor now).

FIG. 5 shows a diagrammatic representation of machine in the exemplaryform of computer system 500 within which a set of instructions, forcausing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed. In alternative embodiments, themachine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g.,networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine mayoperate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-clientnetwork environment, as a host machine, or as a peer machine in apeer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may be apersonal computer (PC), a tablet, a set-top box (STB), a PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a web appliance, anetwork router, switch or bridge, a game console, a television, a CDplayer, a DVD player, a BD player, an e-reader, or any machine capableof executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) thatspecify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only asingle machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken toinclude any collection of machines that individually or jointly executea set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more ofthe methodologies discussed herein.

According to some embodiments, computer system 500 comprises processor550 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit(GPU) or both), main memory 560 (e.g., read only memory (ROM), flashmemory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM(SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc.) and/or static memory 570 (e.g.,flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), whichcommunicate with each other via bus 595.

According to some embodiments, computer system 500 may further comprisevideo display unit 510 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), alight-emitting diode display (LED), an electroluminescent display (ELD),plasma display panels (PDP), an organic light-emitting diode display(OLED), a surface-conduction electron-emitted display (SED), ananocrystal display, a 3D display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)).According to some embodiments, computer system 500 also may comprisealphanumeric input device 515 (e.g., a keyboard), cursor control device520 (e.g., a controller or mouse), disk drive unit 530, signalgeneration device 540 (e.g., a speaker), and/or network interface device580.

Disk drive unit 530 includes computer-readable medium 534 on which isstored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 536) embodyingany one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein.Software 536 may also reside, completely or at least partially, withinmain memory 560 and/or within processor 550 during execution thereof bycomputer system 500, main memory 560 and processor 550. Processor 550and main memory 560 can also constitute computer-readable media havinginstructions 554 and 564, respectively. Software 536 may further betransmitted or received over network 590 via network interface device580.

While computer-readable medium 534 is shown in an exemplary embodimentto be a single medium, the term “computer-readable medium” should betaken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) thatstore the one or more sets of instructions. The term “computer-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by themachine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the disclosed embodiments. The term “computer-readablemedium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to,solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media.

It should be understood that processes and techniques described hereinare not inherently related to any particular apparatus and may beimplemented by any suitable combination of components. Further, varioustypes of general purpose devices may be used in accordance with theteachings described herein. It may also prove advantageous to constructa specialized apparatus to perform the methods described herein. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that many different combinations ofhardware, software, and firmware will be suitable for practicing thedisclosed embodiments.

Embodiments have been described in relation to particular examples,which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather thanrestrictive. Further, while embodiments have been described inconnection with a number of examples and implementations, it isunderstood that various modifications and equivalent arrangements can bemade to the examples while remaining within the scope of the inventiveembodiments.

Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromconsideration of the specification and practice of the embodimentsdisclosed herein. Various aspects and/or components of the describedembodiments may be used singly or in any combination. It is intendedthat the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only,with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for sharing gameplay, the methodcomprising: during execution of gameplay, receiving a request from afirst user to capture a first portion of the gameplay; capturing thefirst portion of the gameplay in response to the request, the firstportion of the gameplay being associated with the first user and asecond user and being from a point of view of the first user;transmitting the first portion of the gameplay to the second user; andpresenting the first portion of the gameplay to the second user from thepoint of view of the first user.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: buffering a second portion of the gameplay prior to thefirst portion of the gameplay, the second portion of the gameplay beingassociated with the first user and the second user and being from thepoint of view of the first user; and combining the second portion of thegameplay with the first portion of the gameplay subsequent to therequest from the first user to capture the first portion of thegameplay.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting thesecond portion the gameplay to the second user with the first portion ofthe gameplay.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second portion ofthe gameplay captures a portion of the gameplay leading up to aninteraction between the first user and the second user in the gameplay.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the gameplaycaptures an interaction between the first user and the second user inthe gameplay.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising capturing asecond portion of the gameplay in response to a request from the seconduser, the second portion of the gameplay being associated with the firstuser and the second user and being from a point of view of the seconduser.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising presenting the secondportion of the gameplay to the second user from the point of view of thesecond user in combination with the presenting of the first portion ofthe gameplay.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: transmittingthe second portion of the gameplay to the first user; and presenting thesecond portion of the gameplay to the first user from the point of viewof the second user.
 9. A system for sharing gameplay, the systemcomprising: a processor operable to: receive a request from a first userto capture a first portion of the gameplay during execution of gameplay;capture the first portion of the gameplay in response to the request,the first portion of the gameplay being associated with the first userand a second user and being from a point of view of the first user;transmit the first portion of the gameplay to the second user; andpresent the first portion of the gameplay to the second user from thepoint of view of the first user.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein theprocessor is operable to: buffer a second portion of the gameplay priorto the first portion of the gameplay, the second portion of the gameplaybeing associated with the first user and the second user and being fromthe point of view of the first user; and combine the second portion ofthe gameplay with the first portion of the gameplay subsequent to therequest from the first user to capture the first portion of thegameplay.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is operableto transmit the second portion the gameplay to the second user with thefirst portion of the gameplay.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein thesecond portion of the gameplay captures a portion of the gameplayleading up to an interaction between the first user and the second userin the gameplay.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the first portion ofthe gameplay captures an interaction between the first user and thesecond user in the gameplay.
 14. The system of claim 9, wherein theprocessor is operable to capture a second portion of the gameplay inresponse to a request from the second user, the second portion of thegameplay being associated with the first user and the second user andbeing from a point of view of the second user.
 15. The system of claim14, wherein the processor is operable to present the second portion ofthe gameplay to the second user from the point of view of the seconduser in combination with the presenting of the first portion of thegameplay.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processed is operableto: transmit the second portion of the gameplay to the first user; andpresent the second portion of the gameplay to the first user from thepoint of view of the second user.
 17. A non-transitory computer readablemedium having computer executable instructions embedded thereon forperforming the steps of: during execution of gameplay, receiving arequest from a first user to capture a first portion of the gameplay;capturing the first portion of the gameplay in response to the request,the first portion of the gameplay being associated with the first userand a second user and being from a point of view of the first user;transmitting the first portion of the gameplay to the second user; andpresenting the first portion of the gameplay to the second user from thepoint of view of the first user.
 18. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 17, further having computer executableinstructions embedded thereon for performing the steps of: buffering asecond portion of the gameplay prior to the first portion of thegameplay, the second portion of the gameplay being associated with thefirst user and the second user and being from the point of view of thefirst user; and combining the second portion of the gameplay with thefirst portion of the gameplay subsequent to the request from the firstuser to capture the first portion of the gameplay.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, further havingcomputer executable instructions embedded thereon for performing thestep of transmitting the second portion the gameplay to the second userwith the first portion of the gameplay.
 20. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 18, wherein the second portion of the gameplaycaptures a portion of the gameplay leading up to an interaction betweenthe first user and the second user in the gameplay.
 21. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the firstportion of the gameplay captures an interaction between the first userand the second user in the gameplay.
 22. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 17, further having computer executableinstructions embedded thereon for performing the step of capturing asecond portion of the gameplay in response to a request from the seconduser, the second portion of the gameplay being associated with the firstuser and the second user and being from a point of view of the seconduser.
 23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22,further having computer executable instructions embedded thereon forperforming the step of presenting the second portion of the gameplay tothe second user from the point of view of the second user in combinationwith the presenting of the first portion of the gameplay.
 24. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, further havingcomputer executable instructions embedded thereon for performing thesteps of: transmitting the second portion of the gameplay to the firstuser; and presenting the second portion of the gameplay to the firstuser from the point of view of the second user.